320 HUNTING WITH THE ESKIMOS 



A tragedy was the result of our stop. One of the 

 musk-ox calves wandered into a bunch of dogs, and 

 before I realized its danger was so badly bitten we 

 found it necessary to kill it. The other calf followed 

 us like a dog for ten hours. Her mother's skin was 

 lashed upon one of the sledges. She had snuffed it, 

 and this was what drew her on. Finally she became 

 so tired that in descending a slippery ice grade she 

 was unable to keep our pace, and I took her in my 

 arms and carried her until we made camp. Then I 

 warmed some condensed milk as quickly as possible, 

 and, very hungry, she drank her fill and appeared 

 contented. From this on I carried her, for the most 

 part, in my arms. The Eskimos wished to kill her, as 

 she was a great incumbrance, but I would not listen 

 to it, and she soon learned to look to me for pro- 

 tection. 



When we reached the head of Flagler Bay, where 

 we had left our cache, with my oil stove on the out- 

 ward journey, I was about "all in." I did not even 

 attempt to cook, but ate some frozen raw musk-ox 

 meat, and then crawled into my sleeping-bag to rest 

 so well that when I awoke I found the Eskimos had 

 already packed the sledges and were waiting for 

 me with my breakfast cooked and tea made. 



On the second day after reaching our cache one 

 of the Eskimos in the lead pointed to the side of a 

 high mountain, and presently I made out two Eski- 

 mos. They were of the party that accompanied us 

 across Smith Sound and later I learned they had 

 made camp some twelve miles from where we discov- 



